Niles Elliot Goldstein, 37, is the author or editor of six books, including Lost Souls: Finding Hope in the Heart of Darkness, which recounts his experiences counseling rescue personnel at Ground Zero after September 11 and God at the Edge: Searching for the Divine in Uncomfortable and Unexpected Places, tales of his life adventures that include dog-sledding above the Arctic Circle, taking the Silk Road into Central Asia without a visa, being chased by a grizzly bear in Alaska, and spending a night in the depths of a New York City jail. He was the founding editor of Contact, a quarterly journal of Jewish thought and opinion, and his essays and poetry have appeared in various publications, including Newsweek and the Los Angeles Times. He has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, and The New York Observer, as well as on television and radio, including New Morning (Hallmark Channel) and "Ask the Rabbi" (Microsoft Network).

Goldstein last appeared in the Triangle as part of Inward Bound, a national conference on spirituality and higher education, sponsored by the Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation and the Education as Transformation Project. Students there found him a riveting speaker as he recounted stories from his life journey before and after becoming a rabbi. For his part, Goldstein enjoys discussing spirituality with students immensely. "[At Inward Bound] I felt free to explore and dialogue with individuals from many different faiths (and non-faiths), yet secure, even encouraged to discuss my own tradition in an unencumbered way."

Goldstein is the founding rabbi of The New Shul, an innovative and independent congregation in Greenwich Village, New York. Currently on the faculty of New York University, he is also an associate faculty member of CLAL: The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, where he was the Steinhardt Senior Fellow. Goldstein is a member of the Renaissance Institute and a former congregational rabbi in New Rochelle, New York. He is the National Jewish Chaplain for the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association. He holds an honors degree in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania, and received an M.A. and his ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

The Reverend Regina Henderson is director of the Pathways Program, also known as the Church and Society Servant Leader Initiative, one of the sponsors of the lecture series. "Goldstein's stories and experiences hold broad appeal for students who are seeking authenticity and adventure in their lives and careers."

The "Finding Your Own Path" lecture series is made possible by a prestigious grant by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. Other speakers include: Fr. Francis Kline, O.C.S.O., Abbot of Mepkin Abbey, SC; Fleet Maull, Buddhist founder of both the Prison Dharma Network, and the National Prison Hospice Society; Darlene Nicgorski, former Catholic nun and activist for Latin American refugees; William Willimon, renowned author and Dean of Duke Chapel; and August Turak, prominent software entrepreneur and board chair of the Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation. Duke's Interfaith Dialogue Project, an initiative which fosters understanding and respect for religious pluralism and diversity, is a cosponsor of "Finding Your Own Path." Ed Cheely, Trinity '00 graduate and SKSF Director of Development, will also help coordinate the series.

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The Duke Chapel Pathways Program (www.dukeservantleader.org) nurtures and equips undergraduate students who seek to serve as leaders of congregations or other religious institutions that are engaged in ongoing service to humanity. It assists students in understanding their future work in light of their faith commitments while bringing faith into vocation, culture into communities, theological reflection into academia and worship into everyday living.

The Duke Interfaith Dialogue Project (kenan.ethics.duke.edu/links6.asp), an initiative which fosters understanding and respect for religious pluralism and diversity, is co-sponsored by the Kenan Institute for Ethics and Duke Chapel. It has sponsored special programs as well as a student-run course, "Religious Diversity in America," which examines several major faiths, and promotes respectful understanding of how Duke students express their different spiritual traditions on campus.

The Freeman Center for Jewish Life (fcjl.studentaffairs.duke.edu) provides opportunities for Jewish students to explore and celebrate their Jewish identity. The Freeman Center actively engages Jewish students by providing them with opportunities to do Jewish activities that are meaningful and appealing to them. FCJL maintains a pluralistic approach to Judaism through social, educational, religious, cultural, and outreach activities.

The Kenan Institute for Ethics (kenan.ethics.duke.edu) is a university-wide initiative at Duke University that supports the study and teaching of ethics and promotes moral reflection and commitment in personal, professional, community, and civic life. Their work is guided by the conviction that universities have a responsibility to prepare students for lives of personal integrity and reflective citizenship by nurturing their capacities for critical thinking, compassion, courage, and their concern for justice.

The Newman Catholic Student Center (www.duke.edu/web/catholic) fosters unity within the Catholic community on campus and in the surrounding area. Through prayer, worship, sacraments, and education, the CSC strengthens its communion with God; through service and fellowship, it strengthens its communion with all people.

The Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation (www.selfknowledge.org) is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization that encourages people to consciously develop their own personal, moral and spiritual values and to live according to them. The SKSF creates experiential learning programs and social contexts within which people can explore the deeper questions in life, developing intellectual understanding and personal character in a quest for the life worth living.